Poultry for PG makes pitch backyard hens                                              250News photo

Prince George, BC –  A bid to allow city residents to keep backyard chickens failed to take flight tonight…  

Despite being armed with almost 600 names on petitions of support, Poultry for Prince George’s call for zoning bylaw revisions that would allow up to six chickens in residential backyards has been turned down.

By a vote of 5 to 3, Councillors rejected a motion to have staff look at a possible pilot project, allowing a set number of homeowners in certain areas of the city to keep hens on a trial basis.

During her presentation, Laura Lawrence said she believes the benefits of keeping a small flock of hens outweighs the concerns that have been raised in the week’s since her group went public with the proposal.

She said backyard chickens would give citizens another tool to fight obesity, disease, poverty, and even climate change.

Lawrence went through a pecking order of concerns: recommending no roosters be allowed because they are noisy.  She said chickens create about the same noise as an average adult conversation.  She said much ‘noise’ has been made in the local media about bears, but says secure coop construction, food stored in bear-proof containers and electric fencing are all deterrents.  Proper coop construction with an underground apron would keep foxes out.

Poultry for PG contacted city bylaw officers in a number of other communities where chickens are allowed and said the over-arching theme has been that the issue ruffled many feathers when first raised, but, once passed, there was little fuss.

However, the majority of City Councillors could not be convinced.  Councillors Terri McConnachie, Brian Skakun, Albert Koehler, Murry Krause, and Frank Everitt voted against a motion by Councillor Garth Frizzell to look into the pilot project.

Councillor McConnachie said she couldn’t support the bylaw revision for two major reasons: 1. the basic expectation that urban living is different from rural living, and 2. that there is no real hardship in accessing eggs.

Councillor Brian Skakun pointed to the numerous complaints people already have with barking dogs, he said he wasn’t in favour of ‘quite literally throwing chickens into the mix’.

Councillor Frank Everitt said while he appreciated Poultry for PG’s passion, he felt there were higher priorities for the city, right now.  He said he didn’t want to see bylaw officers ‘running around the city, chasing chickens’ – something he said he could envision happening on a Friday evening.

Councillors Garth Frizzell, Jillian Merrick, and Susan Scott voted in favour. Councillor Merrick said she was surprised by the hesitance of her colleagues, pointing out Prince George is behind the curve, with 60-percent of BC’s population living in communities that allow backyard chickens.

Mayor Lyn Hall was absent from tonight’s meeting.